Look upward this weekend in Thailand, as a rare celestial event is expected. The National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (Narit) has announced that the people of Thailand may have the chance to witness the recently found Nishimura comet this Sunday evening as it approaches the sun.
This comet, officially designated as C/2023 P1 and named after Hideo Nishimura, a Japanese amateur astronomer, has an orbit that spans a remarkable 437 years around the Earth. Comprising dust and ice, this celestial object is projected to come within 125 million kilometers of our planet on Tuesday, as per Narit’s calculations.
Narit cautions that initially locating the comet may be a challenge due to its oblique approach towards Earth and the sun. Nevertheless, after Friday, the Nishimura comet is expected to become visible in the western sky once the sun sets and will be observable on Sunday when it approaches within 34 million kilometers of the sun.
Narit further advises that on Sunday evening, people in Thailand should scan the heavens for the Virgo constellation, offering them an approximate hour to catch a glimpse of the Nishimura comet before it diminishes from view. As the comet continues its journey away from the sun, its visibility will decrease.
Additionally, Narit suggests observers look for a long tail and a greenish hue, which are distinctive features of the Nishimura comet.
The discovery of this comet was initially made by the amateur astronomer on the morning of August 11 while taking long-exposure photos of the sky using a digital camera. His observation was verified by the Minor Planet Center on August 15. This marks Nishimura’s third comet discovery, following Comet Nakamura-Nishimura-Machholz (C/1994 N1) and Comet Nishimura (C/2021 O1).
At the start of February, a similar green comet was briefly visible in the night sky for the first time in 50,000 years. This comet, known as C/2022 E3 (ZTF), was discovered by astronomers in March 2022 at the Palomar Observatory in San Diego County, California.
